Jinchuriki

The Great Fireball, the Uchiha Clan's signature ninjutsu.

As a genius girl, although Otome had failed to make it to the Land of Rain, she had not been idle at home. After diligent training, she mastered this Fire Release technique, living up to her reputation as a genius.

As for Minato—

That was an unexpected bonus. In the Land of Rain, he had earned Jiraiya's favor. While Sakumo gave Katsuki special lessons, Minato likewise had a jonin with too much time on his hands guiding him in ninjutsu.

When wind and fire combined, it was naturally far more than one plus one equaling two.

The wind fed the flames. The mere C-rank Great Fireball now carried the might of a B-rank ninjutsu. The alley was not wide to begin with, and in an instant, the enhanced Great Fireball filled it completely, crushing forward like a bulldozer.

Minato and Otome coordinated perfectly, seizing the instant the dog-faced ANBU charged and releasing their ninjutsu almost simultaneously.

It hit dead on.

"Can we beat him?" Otome was a little nervous.

"Hard to say!"

Katsuki shook his head, still continuously creating Shadow Clones. His clones covered the walls and crouched along their tops.

A ninja proficient in Earth Release might not necessarily be exceptionally powerful, but his ability to stay alive was definitely outstanding. Sakumo had told him that whether it was the Hardening Technique or tunneling techniques, both were extremely effective means of survival.

Among the ninja of every village Sakumo had fought, he defined Stone Ninja with a single word: "slippery." They were the hardest to kill. A subterranean tunneling technique could make one's teeth itch with hatred. Unless one was equally skilled in Earth Release, it was difficult to do anything against those bent on escaping.

"ANBU aren't that easy to deal with."

Minato tensed up, faint veins bulging on the back of his hand. His azure eyes were filled with vigilance.

Crack!

Rock and earth shattered. A hand appeared beneath Minato's feet and grabbed for his ankle—only to come up empty.

The instant there was movement beneath his feet, Minato darted away like a startled rabbit.

In that instant, every ANBU watching the show from the shadows was stunned.

"Am I seeing things?"

"Is this place haunted?"

"What fast reflexes."

A Ninja Academy student had actually evaded the sneak attack of an ANBU ninja proficient in tunneling. It utterly overturned their worldview.

Their trained eyes could naturally see that Minato had not mastered any sensory ninjutsu. He had relied entirely on his astonishing reflexes, dodging by instinct. He was so fast... like a beam of light.

Earth Release: Rock Rods.

Katsuki's reaction was not slow. Although he was slightly inferior to Minato's freakish instincts, he still responded at once. Stone pillars rose one after another from the ground, interweaving across the earth like a forest and firmly locking down the arm that had emerged from below in a crossed bind.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

Their coordination was so seamless that it all seemed rehearsed countless times, smooth and natural without the slightest trace of stiffness or delay.

Following Katsuki's attack, Otome once again refined what little chakra she had left and fired another Great Fireball into the cluster of crisscrossing stone pillars.

The orange-red flames carried scorching heat and immense energy. The sturdy stone pillars were like paper under that powerful force. Swept by the heat wave, they had already turned brittle and were simply blasted to pieces.

The ANBU hidden in the shadows fell silent. The methods displayed by the three youngsters exceeded their expectations. This was already genin-level strength. Most ordinary genin had not even mastered ninjutsu, yet these three had learned it at such a young age. Especially that blond-haired boy—he actually possessed the rare Wind Release.

The earth scorched by the flames was blackened before cracking apart, like a crushed biscuit. The dog-faced ANBU crawled out of the ground in a rather bedraggled state, his mood utterly miserable. This time, he had truly fallen flat on his face.

Although he had only been made to look a little disheveled and had not suffered any real injury, inwardly he felt as though he had been utterly humiliated. Mentally, he had suffered a tremendous defeat.

"Everyone, stop."

A figure appeared atop the alley wall and kicked away a whole crowd of Katsuki's clones, setting off a continuous series of pop-pop explosions like firecrackers.

A raccoon dog-faced mask and a white hooded trench coat. Katsuki forcibly suppressed the urge to attack. This newcomer was an ANBU captain-level existence; at the very weakest, a Special Jonin, and more likely a jonin. This was a powerful opponent they could not resist through passion alone.

"Withdraw."

Standing atop the wall, the newcomer's cold eyes swept over the dog-faced ANBU. The latter respectfully bowed without saying a word, then vanished directly into the darkness.

He came!

The icy gaze settled on Katsuki. He raised his head and met the ANBU captain's stare without fear.

"Come with me. Mito-sama wants to see you." The ANBU captain coldly tossed out those words, then turned and left.

It worked!

From the very beginning, Katsuki had not expected to truly force his way inside. Even if they could defeat one ANBU, who knew how many experts were hiding nearby? Forcing their way in had never had the slightest chance of success. He merely wanted to cause a disturbance. As long as he could draw the attention of those in the mansion, that was enough.

Judging by the result, their efforts had not been wasted.

The three followed him into the Senju Clan residence. Katsuki immediately sensed that it was different from usual. Though the estate normally had many ANBU guards, they had never been so openly murderous as they were today.

Minato and Otome felt the pressure as well. Both kept their faces taut, doing their utmost not to reveal anything.

They traveled in silence and soon arrived outside a door.

Before they could knock, it opened soundlessly. Looking up, they saw Mito seated in seiza behind a low table, dressed formally with a straight-backed posture and bright, piercing eyes.

She did not look remotely like someone on the verge of death.

"You three little brats have been making such a racket outside. Were you trying to tear down the house? This old woman can hardly sleep because of you." The elderly woman questioned them, her imposing aura bearing down upon the three.

"Great Aunt Mito, sorry about that." Katsuki simply scratched his head and apologized directly. Then he raised his voice and said loudly, "But I didn't come this time to keep you awake. I only want to know where my sister is."

Minato and Otome tightly shut their mouths, sitting in seiza on either side of Katsuki.

"Kushina... you little brat, if I told you where Kushina was, what would you do?"

"I'll become the Jinchuriki. My sister is a girl, so I'm more suitable for something like this." Katsuki gritted his teeth.

Mito narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Whether you are suitable is not for a little brat like you to decide. A Jinchuriki is of vital importance to the village. It is not something that can be changed with a few casual words."